David Moyes: Did the means justify the end?

David Moyes’ tactics never really reflected any positivity, and that was probably his biggest undoing

Sir Alex’s entire legacy was built upon one thing – bravery. The countless number of times Manchester United left their opposition for nought in the final minutes is an embodiment of the courage that Sir Alex instilled into the team. David Moyes, had driven the team to such a low caliber that they were playing long balls into the path of Van Persie, something even Stoke City have stopped nowadays.

The reasons for David Moyes’ uncalculated approach throughout the season had been baffling to the board and fans alike. The lack of a clear game plan coupled with various team selections proved to be disastrous, to say the least. If one is given to understand anything from football’s rich history, it’s the fact that change overnight does not work. Stability is what proves to be important in the end.

Until his sacking yesterday, Moyes had chosen fifty one different teams in fifty one different games. Although injury might be used to shield this mistake, it was a mistake and cannot be justified. Injuries have been taking their toll on the team but not to such an extent as to whip up a new team week in week out.

Taking a more statistical approach to the season would tell you that Manchester United have been very poor with the ball and have arguably the weakest midfield in the top 8.

Although he has not been assisted by a slow and ageing squad, his transfer dealings haven’t exactly reflected the qualities of a Manchester United manager. This is undoubtedly seen in the fact that both his signings had been done without any second thoughts.

The signing of Fellaini seemed to be a good one but he should have completed it within the expiry of his buy-out. Moyes waited till two hours of the deadline to make Fellaini’s transfer official by which time they had shelled out an extra 4 mn for him.

The deal for Mata left many speechless. By buying Mata, Moyes proved that his enigmatic mind was taking Manchester United nowhere. Six months at Old Trafford and Moyes must have surely realized that a player by the name of Shinji Kagawa existed in the squad.

Yet, he chose to overlook Kagawa and go for Mata, a world-class player who plays in exactly the same position as Kagawa. What has been troubling is the fact that Mata is yet to fire on all cylinders since his arrival. Moyes had chosen to ignore the fact that Mata is an attacking midfielder by trade and that any other position is not going to bring out his best.

Mata was signed for a record fee and made to play out of position on the right wing by Moyes. While you may argue that Mata played on the right at Chelsea, Chelsea’s game was typically built on a counter-attacking system where the positional interplay of the front three was vital.

While currently he is proving to be useful with impressive performances, consistency has been eluding Mata’s performances.

United, are dependent on their supply from wide areas to supplement the striker. This left Moyes in what was essentially called the ‘no-win’ situation with Mata and Kagawa. The halo effect has had a rather endearing effect on David Moyes and seems to be doing the same to Robin van Persie.

Robin Van Persie’s reputation as one of the world’s best strikers hasn’t left him and that proved to be deleterious for David Moyes. The situation was such that he played every match when he was fit. But for long, he has just been playing without justifying his addition.

Robin Van Persie, was an excellent player with Manchester United in his first season at Old Trafford. But now, age is catching up with him and he is waning as every player does. David Moyes, for his part should have accepted the truth on the face of it and been bold enough to omit him from the team.

His continuous insistence on playing Robin Van Persie yielded literally no returns as Van Persie has had just a couple of good games throughout the season. I do hope he is judicially used by the new manager.

Sir Alex, throughout his tenure never considered the reputation or eminence of any player. He was not afraid to show the stick, no matter be it David Beckham or Ruud Van Nistelrooy or Roy Keane. To be precise, he exercised the control that he had as a manager. David Moyes failed to do that on all fronts.

Regrettably indeed, the Manchester United board saw it fit to leave Moyes to himself just nine months after hiring him. His disastrous campaign could prove to be his downfall in the near future. A job in the Premier League is going to be a tough task for him.

As a Manchester United fan, I dearly hope that irrespective of the mess that Moyes has placed the club in, the club survives this dark patch just like it did any other and comes out better than ever.

In the last twenty years, Manchester United have always been at the top and let us hope that a collapse does not occur within the turn of a season.

As for the end of David Moyes’ tenure at Old Trafford, the human part of me weeps for his unfortunate termination and the bad reputation that has befallen him.

On the contrary, the part of me that lives and breathes United is slightly happy that a person who has been unsuccessful in replacing Sir Alex is leaving.

From a neutral standpoint, I would say David Moyes, irrespective of whether he deserved the job or not, failed to justify his placement as the hand-picked successor of Sir Alex Ferguson. Although he could have been given time, the regrettable fact that he has been denied time does him no good.

Although I have despised him during his stay at United, I wish him best of luck for the future and hope he can come out of the hapless situation he has placed himself in.

With Moyes gone, Ryan Giggs has been called upon to take up the mantle for the time being. While the arrangement may prove to be fruitful or another thorn in the transition, it does excite me to watch Ryan Giggs stand on the side line managing the team. After all, who better to succeed Sir Alex than the man who has lived the dream along with him? At least, from the perspective of a United fan.